IOS: Reverse SSH Console Access – Part 2

Accessing the line port using SSH only.

The advantage to this option is that you need only allow TCP 22 (SSH) through your firewall.

From a *nix platform, you use the following command line:

ssh gf:[email protected]

When using putty in interactive mode, at the username prompt just put username:number at the prompt.

Putty Profile

If you configure putty profiles (which I use to run putty from the command line).

Connecting from the IOS prompt on your terminal server

Accessing a port on your terminal server using the IOS command line, where 40 is the line number of the serial port that you want connect to.

lontrm01#ssh -l gf:40 10.216.4.10

{Thanks to Emanuele who posted a comment on the original post}

HELP: How do you enter Break Characters to enter ROMMON ?

I have not been able to successfully enter a break character / sequence to break into the boot sequence when using Reverse SSH. From my research, it seems that the break characters when using SSH are different from those using telnet.

I am sure that there is an answer – please leave a comment if you have any tips.

List of Standard Break Keys

Other posts in the series

1. Cisco IOS CLI Regex: sh ip bgp in
2. IOS CLI Tip: More accurate pipe commands
3. Cisco Nexus NXOS and Fixing broken “switchto” syntax with alias
4. show ip eigrp topology all
5. Cisco IOS CLI Shortcuts
6. The poor man's IOS Traffic Generator
7. IOS: "terminal monitor" on, off - logging to your terminal
8. IOS: Console, Terminal, Monitor, VTY - what is what ?
9. IOS: Clearing an interface configuration
10. IOS: Setting Terminal Window Length
11. IOS CLI: show run linenum
12. IOS: Setting the TCP timeout on IOS
13. IOS: enable and .... disable ?
14. IOS: Reverse SSH console access - Part 2 (This post)
15. IOS:Open Source Lab DNS and IP addressing
16. IOS: Reverse SSH console access
17. ip tcp timestamp
18. Cisco ASA and IOS command tip - test aaa-server